Spinal Cord Injury Community

Juice Cleanse – How I Reboot My Bowels

My story starts last November. On the heels of a hearty Thanksgiving feast and the subsequent leftover meals, my body and digestive tract were feeling a bit sluggish. In times past, I have used home-juicing as a method for rebooting my bowls and cleansing my pipes. This time, however, was my first experience with a store bought, three-day juice cleanse system, designed for cleansing the average Joe.

I will start by saying: I do not recommend any multi-day juice cleanse or food fasting for someone with a spinal cord injury without medical clearance. This process is not for the faint of heart, as it will test the most iron-willed person with a roller-coaster of physical and emotional hunger pains.

There are many juice cleanse recipes, juice sequences and timeframes out there, most of which I stayed away from for one reason or another. I mainly use home-made juicing recipes to remedy the occasional constipation, gas, or general fatigue. Most of my recipes make a more substantial, high calorie, fiber-packed smoothie, rather than a thin, water-like drink.

However, this time I experimented with Pressed Juicery’s – cold pressed, three day juice cleanse, Number One. This cleanse has eighteen specific juices, and is designed to be consumed one every two-to-three hours, over a three-day period. That equals six juices a day, with each juice being labeled one through six. These cold pressed juices are specific blends of roots, fruits, vegetables, nuts and spices.

The highest calorie juice was pressed from chocolate, almonds, dates, cacao and sea salt and was meant to be consumed first thing in the morning and a second one an hour before bed. And trust me, compared to all the other juices, this one tastes like a milk shake and was the most fulfilling (which was still barely satisfying).

The other four juices were different combinations of kale, spinach, carrot, beets, parsley, cucumber, apple, lemon, ginger, celery, mint, romaine and turmeric root.

If you have an adventurous pallet, you’ll love these recipes. If you don’t, good luck getting through the day.

The hardest part of the cleanse for me was the first day. My body was rebelling with mood swings, belly pangs and energy loss. Actually, the frequent urination was the most frustrating part. I should have set up my office in the bathroom!

This is a huge warning for anyone who has to catheterize their bladder: you may need to cath two, maybe three times as often during an all-liquid juice cleanse. Be mindful!

Overall, my body adapted well, and by day three I felt great: lighter, less bloated, less inflamed and possessing a higher sensitivity to quality of food.

Because of the low calorie intake, I recommend reducing the amount of intense, physical activity during the cleanse (I learned the hard way).